Drought Relief

11/08/2018 by Hancocks

You may have heard the announcement that the Government is providing over $1.1 billion in financial support for drought-affected farmers, but not know where to start applying. We have listed below some of the subsidies and payments that you may find helpful. If you would like any assistance in determining eligibility, or with the application process, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are thinking of you and your families during these tough times.

Transport Subsidy

Up to $20,000 per eligible farm business, to subsidise the cost of transporting fodder, water to a property for stock, stock to and from agistment, and stock to sale or slaughter. For more information, click here. You can apply online or fill out a manual form.

Farm Household Allowance – Centrelink

This is a DHS payment for farming families experiencing hardship. The period for which farmers and their partners can receive this allowance has been extended from three to four years. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has also signed off on additional lump sum payments, paid in two instalments (the first in September 2018 and the second in March 2019), which will be paid to those receiving this allowance. For more information and how to apply, click here.

Local Land Service Rates

The NSW Government will waive LLS rates for all landholders for 2019 automatically (no need to do anything).

Registration on Class 1 Agricultural Vehicles

Service NSW will waive the registration fees on these types of vehicles. For more information, click here.

DroughtHub

For more assistance packages that may be available to you, visit the DPI DroughtHub page. Click here.